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This tutorial is really no different than Gav’s. What is different is the ease at which Wickedbeard Armor lends itself to template making and mounting. Though the armor is shaped, it is flexible enough to flatten out for template making. The templates are used to outline the armor onto your vest, FLAT. I did not, and do not recommend, flattening the shoulder armor. There is just too much curve there and you stand a good chance of ruining the part.

I was able to do most of this myself. But an extra set of hands will come in handy once in a while.

Some of the hardware and tools I used:
1.JB Weld
2. 6-32 x 3/8”L Counter Sunk Machine Screws.
3.#6 Flat Washers.
4.#6 Hex Nuts. Dome nut preferred.
5.3/16” Eyelets. Available at most craft / sewing stores. NOTE: Use GROMMETS, not eyelets. See Post #14 One site for example: http://grommetkits.com/
6.Long straight edge. Just for making the centerline.
7.Hole punch. I used a Tandy tool. I don’t recommend punching the holes with just a pointed tool.
8.Rotary Hole Punch. Used for punching holes in templates.
9.Dremel tool.
10.Mallet

First, make templates of the collar, chest, ab and diamond armor. Lay the armor, face up, onto the template material (i.e. cardboard). Gently but firmly, press the armor flat and trace the outline.

CAUTION: Do not bare down too hard, or point load the armor pieces. Open your hand and spread the load force as much as possible.

Mark each piece “top”. Cut out the templates. Scribe a line around the perimeter of the templates approximately 0.400” in from edge. Mark the hole/screw locations on the line at the locations and intervals you deem necessary and punch the holes.

Next, mark a centerline down the front of your vest. Put the vest on, mark a point on the vest at the center of the throat and another at the naval. Remove the vest and connected the dots. Put the vest back on and place the collar armor in position (temporarily). With the collar in place, position the chest plates relative to the collar. At this point, the main concern is the distance between the collar and chest armor pieces. Once located, mark the vest at the top of the chest armor. Remove vest.

Close the back of the vest and lay it down flat with the front facing up. Lay out the chest and ab and center diamond templates onto the vest(“top” up). Set the height of the chest plates with the marks made in the previous step. Carefully arrange the armor, about the centerline, to your liking. Lightly trace a line around the templates and transfer the hole locations to the vest through the template.

Prep the armor surfaces for the JB Weld. Scruff the perimeter of the armor where the bolts will be set with course sand paper. I used a Dremel with a course barrel sander at the lowest RPM. Thoroughly clean the surfaces to remove any oils and debris (I just used Isopropyl Alcohol).

Transfer the screw locations to the back of each armor piece through the templates. Place the armor face down on a flat surface. Position the corresponding template, “top” facing down, onto the armor piece. Press the template and armor flat, check alignment, and transfer screw locations to armor piece. Add cross-hairs to each mark on the armor to aid in aligning screws.

Mix a small amount of equal parts of JB Weld. Allow the mixture about 15 minutes to thicken before using.

NOTE: If you do not allow the JB Weld mixture time to thicken, the screws will skate down the slopes of the armor. A pasty consistency will help reduce / prevent this.

Dab the top surface of the screw in the JB Weld. Do not completely submerge the head of the screw. This will end with too much build up and not allow the screw to pull up to the eyelet. Position the screws to the armor. Check the screws periodically to ensure they have not slid out of position. Set the armor aside. For best results, allow at least 12 hours before mounting your armor.

As you see in the finished photos, the armor pulls up nice and tight to the vest. No gaps. Not wanting to have cut 70 some odd screws, I used two washers under each nut. I do have dome nuts and will be changing out the lot soon.

After thoughts:
Though I used Eyelets, a proper grommet is preferred. I haven’t done my homework to know if there actually is a 3/16” grommet available. Note that the larger the screw/grommet combination, the more stand-off you will have. A small screw with a large grommet may introduce “puckering” as the vest material is drawn into the grommet.

Side note:
Funny story to demonstrate the strength of the JB Weld. My fiancé/helper was out of town the first time I tried on the armor mounted vest. I can normally do this myself as I have a cord attached to the zipper. Well, this time the zipper jammed just below the beck seal. No up, no down possible. Too late at night to knock on the neighbor’s door. I have a 31 waist and 45 chest. I took me twenty minutes to get the vest over my head. I was worried throughout the process knowing I was seriously stressing the screws. Did not lose anything except water weight.

Hope this helps you guys out wanting to buy and/or mount Wickedbeard armor.

Thanks for posting this Booboo! Between this and Bobamakers tutorial I think I should have enough reference for doing this to my armor.

You think JB Weld will work for this on ABS armor?

Thanks for your comments. Not sure about the JB Vs. ABS thing though. Never tried it. I visited R.S.Hughes in Anaheim today and picked up some 3M Scotch-Weld (DP-810). Thought I might try that on some other projects. I haven't looked up the specs yet. Look it up, it may be another alternative.

it totally looks like overkill on the screws but it fits like a glove.

I personally went with snaps on my armor.

again awesome.

Thank you, Sir.

Everyone:

In case you didn't see it in one of the posts above, use GROMMETS, not eyelets on the vest. Eyelets do not grab enough material around the circumference of the hole and will pull out sooner than later. Note that the grommets have a larger O.D. than the eyelets. Therefore it will be necessary to move the perimeter center-line further inboard from edge.

In case you didn't see it in one of the posts above, use GROMMETS, not eyelets on the vest. Eyelets do not grab enough material around the circumference of the hole and will pull out sooner than later. Note that the grommets have a larger O.D. than the eyelets. Therefore it will be necessary to move the perimeter center-line further inboard from edge.

Cheers

Thanks for this tip!... I was going to be buying materials for this and had not though that little detail...